decent community

You don’t have to be Portuguese to love Linguica and Chourico. Thousands of food lovers of all ethnic backgrounds have also learned to treasure these smoky, zesty flavored sausages and the numbers keep growing steadily

Early August always reminds us at Decent Community of one thing:  The Feast of the Blessed Sacrament.  The Feast is the advertised as the world’s largest Portuguese Feast, and while this may be a creative advertising ploy by what is known as one of the most talented and creative groups of immigrants this side of the Atlantic, it is surely as large a gathering of Portagees that any man can tolerate.

One of the driving forces of the feast and Portuguese cuisine is Linguica.  The Community’s affinity to Linguica has been discussed, but on this, the eve of Portuguese Feast weekend, Decent Community examines the origin of this great tubed meat.  Thus, the underlying question remains:

From whence does said meat originate?

Linguica is a spicy, tangy sausage, often grilled and served on Portuguese rolls.

It is comprised of cured pork, seasonedwith onions, garlic, and paprika.  The ground meat to animal fat and salt ratio of Linguica is very low, and thus, the Linguica sausages is one of the most fatty, greasy and delicious of all sausages.

Linguica’s origins come from ancient Portuguese Royalty.  King Juan Riccardo Fernandez Evangelho Garcia used to have his servants hand roll giant Pig Innards Tubes, as they were once called, for himself and his family.  When his first daughter, Lisa, was born, she took a liking to the Pig Innards Tubes, and thus King JRFEG changed the name from Pig Ass Sticks to “Lisa’s” in the late 19th Century.  As the meat and the brand developed so to did the name, to what we currently have today, “Linguica”.

The different shapes are a result of the different ways the meat was transported across the ocean from Portugal.  In Portugal, Linguica is usually eaten in its natural form, which is a a giant pile of ground up meat.  However, in importing Countries the meat is commonly purchased as a “link” or a “patty”.  Clearly, these products are now formed as such, but the shape of Linguica dates back to early transportation methods.  Tubed or linked Linguica was often laid in the horizontally in the hull of ships, in between barrels of Madeira wine, thus giving it a curved tubed look.  The flat patty shape is a result of the product being sandwiched in between stacked barrels of Madeira. 

The design of Linguica has been the inspiration for many great and decent product.  Whiffle ball bats, frisbees, dongs, jump ropes, ear muffs, telephones, cigars, sky scrappers, wheels and scarves all have one thing in common:  There inventors were inspired by the shape of Linguica and used the fashionable and functional design when creating their products.

Linguica is such an enigmatic products that it is no surprise that it’s origins and influences on civilization are equally unfathomable.  So, if nailing a patty deep in the belly of the Feast or enjoying a sausage with a group of buddies, take the time to reflect on the origins and history of the decency that is Linguica.

Filed under: grizzle, local, questions Tagged: | comedy, food, humor, linguica, new bedford, portugal, portuguese